The famed Terracotta Warriors, which were on show at the World Museum Liverpool, generated £78m (US$99.9m, €87.8m) towards the local economy during their eight-month stay in the city, according to operator National Museums Liverpool.

More than 600,000 people saw the China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors exhibition since it opened on 9 February 2018 – attracting more visitors than any other ticketed UK show during all of 2017.

The exhibition, which finished last weekend (28 October 2018) spans almost 1,000 years of Chinese history and tells the story of how an underground army of life-sized terracotta warrior sculptures secretly guarded the tomb of China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

A chance archaeological discovery in 1974 led local farmers in Lintong District, Shaanxi Province to find the sculptures and the Liverpool exhibition showcases a number of objects that have never been on show in the UK before, including material from museums and institutes from across Shaanxi Province.

Liverpool is celebrating 10 years since being awarded the European Capital of Culture moniker and has put on a number of events in 2018, including Tate Liverpool’s 30th birthday.

"We opened China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors in a wonderful year of culture for Liverpool, with another great Biennial and Tate Liverpool’s 30th birthday," said Laura Pye, director at National Museums Liverpool.

"Huge public events have celebrated 10 years since we were the Capital of Culture. We’re so proud to be part of the fabric of Liverpool’s rich culture and to have delivered the Terracotta Warriors exhibition for our visitors this year."

Sir David Henshaw, chairman, National Museums Liverpool added: "More than three-quarters of visitors told us that our Terracotta Warriors exhibition was the main reason for their visit to Liverpool. We are delighted to have made such a significant contribution to the visitor economy of the Liverpool City Region."